Shortly after the roshei yeshiva of the nation’s hesder yeshivot convened in urgent session on Sunday, releasing a unified declaration against political protest within the IDF, some of the rabbonim now feel this is not the solution, explaining they need to adopt a more aggressive approach.

Once such rav, aligned with the hawkish camp, is HaRav Elyakim Levanon Shlita, who is a leading figure in the Dati Leumi Torani community. Rabbi Levanon did not attend the meeting because as he put it, “the outcome was predictable”.

Quoted by the Jerusalem Post, the rabbis is seeking a more aggressive statement, not ruling out turning to the nation’s High Court of Justice to challenge the authority of Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who made the bold decision to oust the Har Bracha Hesder Yeshiva from the hesder network. The post points out that it is questionable if Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, the rosh yeshiva in Har Bracha, would go along with bringing the case to the secular High Court.

Rabbi Levanon is not a lone voice, and there are other rabbonim who do not agree with the moderate line adopted in the statement, feeling they must not seek to once again fall back in Barak’s favor but they must go on the offensive, defending their cause and to send a clear message to Barak and military officials that rabbonim can and will deliver their Torah message as they interpret it.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)